As an alternative to braces and other bonded orthodontic equipment, removable tooth positioning appliances, such as aligners and retainers, that tightly fit over teeth are commonly employed in orthodontic treatments for controlled tooth movement to a pre-determined position. These tooth positioning appliances are removable in that they are not bonded to the teeth which they are used to manipulate. In providing such appliances and treatments, it is important to move teeth to an ideal pre-determined position with gentle controlled forces. Typically, the appliance is fabricated to provide accuracy of placement in compliance with the exact shape of the teeth or the exact shape and placement of attachment devices. An example of such a removable tooth positioning appliance can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,248, Chishti, et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Removable tooth positioning appliances comprise a thin shell of material that generally conforms to a patient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with the initial tooth configuration. By properly choosing the configuration, placement of the appliance over the teeth will move individual teeth to desired intermediate or final positions over time. Depending on the number of teeth that are malaligned, these positioning appliances can be designed to fit over any number of teeth, and often are designed to be placed over the entire top or bottom set of teeth.
The repositioning forces required to move a tooth from one position to another position in a reasonable amount of time may be formidable. To achieve such forces, these tooth positioning appliance must be relatively stiff (i.e. possess a high strength or high modulus) to provide a sufficient grip on the teeth. The stiffness both ensures that the dental appliance remains firmly in position on the patient's teeth and provides the repositioning force necessary to move the teeth. The stiffness also permits the positioning appliance to grab hold of an anchor device or other surface feature which may be present on the tooth to apply a directed force to execute orthodontic tooth movements.
While stiffness of the tooth positioning appliance is desirable for providing repositioning forces and for maintaining appliance position on the teeth, the removal of such appliances can be difficult. The requirement that the appliance tightly conform to the teeth of the patient makes it even more difficult to remove these appliances. However, periodic removal of the positioning appliance is desirable for a number of purposes including cleaning, dental hygiene, removal before meals, removal for cosmetic purposes, and removal and replacement in the course of treatment. Unassisted removal by patients themselves is often very difficult. In most or all of these cases, however, it will be inconvenient for the patient to visit the practitioner. As a result, patients will use household instruments, such as forks, etc., to remove the tooth positioning appliance. The use of such make-shift instruments can damage both the patient's teeth or gums and the appliance itself. Moreover, even if the patient can visit a practitioner to remove the tooth positioning appliance, practitioners use orthodontic instruments designed for other uses to remove the appliance. These orthodontic appliances often present the same problems as the patient's make-shift instruments.
For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide a tool that is specifically designed to remove such tooth positioning appliances from a patient's teeth in a safe, effective, and efficient manner.